Lobotomy In The 1930s

The way mental health has been treated throughout history is constantly changing. We can see this in many different ways, but to see how this has consistently evolved, we need to look at and understand several different sources. Mental disability treatment is shown in historical contexts, through Steinbeck’s novel, and in statistics today. In the 1930s, mental illness was treated extremely harshly and a lot differently than it is handled today. During that time period, being emotionally unstable was at an all time high. There are many crazy ideas about how these issues should be “fixed”. All of these treatments had a plethora of things wrong with them; they were experimental, dangerous, intrusive, the list goes on (“Heroic Therapies in Psychiatry”).

This was at a point in history where mental disabilities were seen as severely dangerous and people were frightened of them; this caused most doctors to jump straight to surgery before trying any type of therapy with a patient (Faria, Miguel A Jr.). Lobotomy is a process where they drive an ice pick or similar tool into your brain. Consequently, this left the patient almost completely unresponsive. It is an invasive procedure that often strips the person of awareness and sense of self (“Heroic Therapies in Psychiatry”). This practice has still never been banned in the US or most European countries; however, it is extremely rare due to the harsh and dehumanizing nature. The main issue presented in Steinbeck’s novel “Of Mice and Men” is mental illness and how it is treated. Throughout the book, we see the ways people handle Lennie differently from all the other characters. The first time we see this is very early on when the two men are seeking fulfilling work. The boss is very suspicious of George, even asking if he is only using Lennie to take his pay, thinking there is no other reason the two would be working together (Steinbeck

Throughout the book, Lennie continues to be either messed with or taken advantage of. The next obvious example is when he goes into Crooks’ room in the barn. Crooks tells Lennie that George is not coming back for him, trying to get Lennie to understand what it is like to feel alone (Steinbeck 72). This backfires entirely as Lennie is only enraged by this information, nearly becoming violent. By the end of the novel, George kills Lennie, in an attempt to spare him from the torture and mental institutions he would be subject to if he was caught. All of these situations clearly show Steinbeck’s message that mental illness needs to be treated with a delicate hand. If it is taken advantage of, it can be dangerous for both the person who is afflicted and the people around him. Mental health is treated a lot differently in modern times than it was in earlier years. At one point, people who were afflicted with mental disabilities were treated like animals. Now, most who have an issue they would like to fix choose when and how they are treated (“Mental Health